The last couple of years have seen a worldwide eruption of extreme weather events:floods, droughts, heat waves, heavy snowstorms and hurricanes of uncommon strength in uncommon places.During this same period public opinion in the United States has shown a perceptible shift from denial to the acceptance of global climate change.This shift can be observed in public opinion polls as well as heard in political rhetoric such as President Obama’s inaugural address.The question emerges: “Is this new and more violent weather evidence of anthropogenic climate change?”This talk will examine some of the science behind extreme weather events and will attempt to answer whether or not climate change is a causal factor in these events.

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